Bill and Anne Brauker
atop Mt. Sherman.
August 10, 2003

Anne and I have been walking for exercise for the past three years.  Last year we decided it was time to spend more time in the beautiful Colorado mountains.  We bought some snowshoes and began snowshoeing on trails near Denver, along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.  This summer we began hiking in the mountains. 

After several beautiful hikes at lower elevations, we began to move higher.  On my 55th birthday, August 2, we climbed Chief Mountain, near Empire, Colorado.  I guess you could say when we stood on the peak of this 11,709 foot mountain, we got the fever.

In Colorado, there are 54 peaks that are over 14,000 feet, affectionately known as the 14ers.  One of the fun things for Colorado hikers is to try and "bag" a 14er.  These photos are from our first. 

We hope there will be many more to come.

If you are interested in climbing and hiking in the Colorado mountains, here are some great books to consider.

Climbing Mt. Sherman
From the Iowa Gulch Trailhead

The trail we took to the summit of Mt. Sherman starts when you climb down a narrow path into Iowa Gulch.   The gulch is filled with a willow thicket and a stream that has to be crossed.    When you reach the base of the mountain, the scree field begins. Small loose rocks, the trail is very narrow and almost non-existent in places.  The yellow line is drawn just beneath where the trail is.  After turning the corner, you move up toward the saddle area between the two mountains.  Most of the climb is on the back side, and then along the spine of the mountain near the summit. (Click photos to enlarge.  If the photo does not enlarge all the way, move your cursor over the lower right corner of the photo and click on the enlargement icon that appears.)

Mt. Sherman Info

Altitude: 14,036

Iowa Gulch Trailhead: 11,600

Rating: Class 2, Novice

RT Time: It took us 6 hours, but remember this was our first 14er and we are in our 50s.  Five miles. 

Mt. Sherman is classified by most, as one of the easiest 14ers to climb, but that does not mean it is a walk in the park.  The trail from Iowa Gulch is rough and rocky.  It is a 14,00 foot mountain that creates its own weather and conditions can change in minutes.  Even in mid summer make sure you are prepared for high winds, cold temperatures, snow, hail and rain. 

Start out as early as possible. You should be well off the peak by noon.  We thought we had started early enough, but didn't reach the summit until 12:35 p.m. and that is too late.  The storms were already moving in, and the danger of lightning was high.

Iowa Gulch Trailhead
To get to the Iowa Gulch Trailhead, drive south through Leadville, Colorado, on Harrison Avenue, US 24/C91.  (The main street.)  At the edge of town there will be a Corner Store gas station.  Right after that, is a street going to the left, that is Monroe St.  On the opposite side of the highway it is Elm St.  Turn left on Monroe and go a short distance up the hill and turn right on Toledo street.  (Lake County Road 2.)  Drive up approximately four miles until you see a dirt road veer off to the left.  When we were there, there was a small sign, saying Mt. Sherman.   Follow that road to nearly the end, until you see two large drainage pipes.   Park near those.

There is a small fourwheel drive track that leads down from the road.  Walk down that a short distance, less than a hundred yards, and make your way into the gulch.  There may be a couple of small stone cairns indicating trails into the gulch, but when we were there we missed them and didn't have good directions and walked quite a ways down the track before we turned back and made our way into the gulch.

If you can't make out a trail, just make your own and find a narrow place to cross the stream in the gulch.  If there has been a lot of rain, you will find the gulch very wet. 

Good luck, have fun, and be safe.

The  Principles of
Leave No Trace.

Plan ahead and prepare.

Camp and travel on durable surfaces.

Pack it in.  Pack it out.

Properly dispose of what you can't pack out.

Minimize the impacts of fire.

Leave what you find.

Anne, just beginning the trail up.
Peak of Mt. Sheridan upper right.

A close look at a "smooth"
part of the trail.

Looking up from the scree
trail to the rugged cliffs above. 
Fortunately, we are not
going up that way.

Looking down slope, just after
rounding the curve toward the
saddle area.  Yes, there really
is a trail there somewhere.

Up higher now moving toward
the saddle between the
two mountains. 

On the saddle, looking down the
east side toward the Fourmile Creek trail.

Bill, taking a breather
on the saddle.

The trail to the summit, from just
above the saddle area.  Yes, that
yellow line drawn in represents
the path of the trail.

Anne, on the trail far above
the saddle now.

Bill, with Mt. Sheridan behind him.

Another view to the east. 
Clouds are moving in fast now.

A view to the west.  Our car is
parked on the road below.

A view down to the saddle and
Mt. Sheridan in the distance.

On the spine, toward the summit. 
The young man in the foreground
stopped at this point.  He said,
"This is as high as I can go."

Anne, high on the spine, near the
summit, feeling the ill effects
of altitude sickness.

Near the summit, some snow
remains. The storm moves in fast. 
The close peak is White Ridge.  Far
in the distance, just to the left of White
Ridge, is Pikes Peak, 14,110.

It took 3 hours and 45 minutes of climbing,
but at last, Bill and Anne on the summit!
14,036.
Our first 14er.

The blue arrow points to where
our car is parked. A long hike
back down now.

Anne, getting wet on the descent.

Anne of the Green Valley.
Almost finished.

Columbine, the state flower of
Colorado, in Iowa Gulch.

Copyright 2003, Brauker and Company
www.brauker.com

To contact us, write to:
bill@brauker.com

As soon as we got back to
the car, the skies cleared
and we celebrated with
a glass of champagne.